Tonight whilst shopping in 'Asda' I discarded my usual plonk for a bottle of 'British Wine' by 'Hidden Vineyards'....hey I tell ya it should be kept hidden...it is VILE!!

I have drunk better domestos on an 'all inclusive in Greece' YUK!!

I usually shop at Tesco but a trip to Big W was requested and as there is a 'Morrisons' at Meadowhead now I thought a call in 'Asda' would be a change!!

I have never come across a British Wine before....French, Spanish, Argentinian, Chilean, Italian, Greek, South African and Australian...yes but never British!!

OMG...may I never go there again......

:gag:

Originally posted by Shiesh


I have never come across a British Wine before....French, Spanish, Argentinian, Chilean, Italian, Greek, South African and Australian...yes but never British!!

:gag:

Hi Shiesh,

a bit of info for you.

It has been around for a long time but "British" wine is not made from grapes grown in England (or Wales). It is made, like a giant home wine-making kit from Boots the Chemists, from wine concentrate imported in tanker ships to ports such as Shoreham in Sussex. The wines are "made" in factory scale enterprises inland in towns such as Kingston-upon-Thames in Surrey.

Don't let it stop you from trying English wine which is is good honest wine which has by law to be both grown and made in England.

I'll stick to 'English' wine then next time...thanks for the info..:thumbsup:

What, precisely, were you doing drinking Domestos on your holiday to Greece? There are quite a few fairly reasonable local brews there of a more acceptable nature.

But then I did listen to a very earnest Radio 4 programme a while back in which a former tramp discussed with great seriousness how to prepare Brasso for imbibation.

Some of the English sparkling wines are really rather good. They're created using the Champenois method and grown in soils similar to that of the Champagne region in France. The soil, for a start, is hardly soil at all – it’s mostly white, crumbly chalk, almost like your teacher used on the blackboard! This vein of ancient fossil shells is the same as that seen across the channel in the white cliffs of Dover, and extending into the rolling countryside of Kent.

Tis true. Had a very pleasant Cornish still white the other day too. Fruity and complex, with a nice zingy dry edge. Apparently the maker is contemplating having a go at red, but I suspect we need a little more global warming before that comes, erm, to fruition.

On the warm front though, in the Middle Ages English wine was much produced. Unfortunately got killed off as an industry by the lowering temperatures of the late 1500s.

There is one called 'Chapel something or other' the name escapes me, but it isn't bad at all.

Originally posted by Fragonard
There is one called 'Chapel something or other' the name escapes me, but it isn't bad at all.

Chapel Down Bacchus perhaps
Kent-based Chapel Down are now the largest producer of English wine, sourcing grapes from their own vineyards and also a group of more than 20 growers in the South of England. This striking wine has a lovely, grapey, floral nose that's quite reminiscent of a new world Sauvignon Blanc. Really nice balance on the palate: fruity and full, without the searing acidity that can be an off-putting feature in some English wines.

Isn't the WWW fantastic.

Originally posted by drolnhoj
....from wine concentrate imported in tanker ships to ports such as Shoreham in Sussex.

Yum! And I can buy this wine concentrate where? :D ;)

Originally posted by Kristian
Yum! And I can buy this wine concentrate where? :D ;)


:D You better ask Shiesh. She's the one who has been drinking it!:D

Years ago I drank Coke concentrate directly from the straw of a postmix box. The sugar/caffeine combo was amazing! Concentrare wine though. All together, yuuumm! :D

The best British wine i've had was from Cornwall, it had a nice fruity taste and quite dry on the pallette. I've been told sparkling wines are the best, but haven't tried any yet:)

Lord Montagu's Beaulieu estate [home of the national motor museum] produces some lovely white wine :thumbsup:

http://www.hampshirefare.co.uk/beaulieu.html

used to cycle past the vineyards as a kid :P

Originally posted by Shiesh
Tonight whilst shopping in 'Asda' I discarded my usual plonk for a bottle of 'British Wine' by 'Hidden Vineyards'....hey I tell ya it should be kept hidden...it is VILE!!

I have drunk better domestos on an 'all inclusive in Greece' YUK!!

I usually shop at Tesco but a trip to Big W was requested and as there is a 'Morrisons' at Meadowhead now I thought a call in 'Asda' would be a change!!

I have never come across a British Wine before....French, Spanish, Argentinian, Chilean, Italian, Greek, South African and Australian...yes but never British!!

OMG...may I never go there again......

:gag:

Lol I've tried that, I thought it'd be erm interesting and it certainly was lol If i remember correctly, it was like £2 or something ridiculous like that... Needless to say I didn't get another bottle lol

Yeah that's right Caprice £1.96 I think....:gag:

Normally I do spend about £3.99 but was intrigued by the 'British' label....!!

I usually go for Soave or Sauvignon Blanc anyway I won't be buying another bottle...though I think I shall look out for the Cornish wines they seem to be worth a try.... :thumbsup:

Lol Shiesh you haven't heard the best of it! My Parents found some dead cheap wine in the supermarket at Spain and they were intruigued by the fact that it was only 75 cents lol (Works out at around 52p lol) They thought it tasted a little like paint stripper, but were all too impressed by their bargain hunting to waste the rest of the bottle!!! lol

Three Choirs in Gloucestershire make excellent wine and have done for years.

If you're ever heading down to South Wales on the M40 and have got an hour to kill I'd recommend a visit - about 10 mins from M40 junction 3, follow signs to Newent and then signposted left.

The only drawback with decent Englsh wine is the price.

As it's not produced in massive quantities, the good stuff tends to cost a lot.

It is out there, but it will cost you.

Should global warming continue, this could change, of course!